MARTINEZ — A Walnut Creek man charged with arson is accused of setting fire to property belonging to friends who were groomsmen at his wedding, an apparent act of revenge after his marriage failed, according to court documents uncovered Tuesday.

Joshua Van Buskirk, 33, was taken into custody on Dec. 24 in connection with two blazes that damaged homes and two vehicle fires, according to Contra Costa County Fire Protection District fire investigators.

Van Buskirk has pleaded not guilty to three counts of arson of property, three counts of possession of destructive devices for using Molotov cocktails, one count of arson of an inhabited property and two counts of child abuse because two children were inside a home he targeted, records show. All the charges are felonies and bail was set at $2.1 million.

Van Buskirk apparently believed the groomsmen did not support him after his marriage dissolved, according to a police search warrant. One of the victims was a longtime friend, according to the warrant.

Some of the items left at the fires held significance to the victims — a 49ers scarf, Joker cards and a bullet in a pill bottle, records show.

Investigators said the most recent fire connected to Van Buskirk was reported on Christmas Eve, when fire crews were called to a blaze in front of a home in the 3600 block of Walnut Avenue in Concord. They found several fires along with two Molotov cocktails in front of the house. Other evidence found at the scene was believed to have been related to a vehicle fire the previous day in Antioch, in the 400 block of Ridgewood Court.

The same morning, investigators and Concord police responded to a Concord home in the 4100 block of Churchill Drive, where another Molotov cocktail had damaged a garage door while the occupants slept inside.

MARTINEZ — A Walnut Creek man charged with arson is accused of setting fire to property belonging to friends who were groomsmen at his wedding, an apparent act of revenge after his marriage failed, according to court documents uncovered Tuesday.

Joshua Van Buskirk, 33, was taken into custody on Dec. 24 in connection with two blazes that damaged homes and two vehicle fires, according to Contra Costa County Fire Protection District fire investigators.

Van Buskirk has pleaded not guilty to three counts of arson of property, three counts of possession of destructive devices for using Molotov cocktails, one count of arson of an inhabited property and two counts of child abuse because two children were inside a home he targeted, records show. All the charges are felonies and bail was set at $2.1 million.

Van Buskirk apparently believed the groomsmen did not support him after his marriage dissolved, according to a police search warrant. One of the victims was a longtime friend, according to the warrant.

Some of the items left at the fires held significance to the victims — a 49ers scarf, Joker cards and a bullet in a pill bottle, records show.

Investigators said the most recent fire connected to Van Buskirk was reported on Christmas Eve, when fire crews were called to a blaze in front of a home in the 3600 block of Walnut Avenue in Concord. They found several fires along with two Molotov cocktails in front of the house. Other evidence found at the scene was believed to have been related to a vehicle fire the previous day in Antioch, in the 400 block of Ridgewood Court.

The same morning, investigators and Concord police responded to a Concord home in the 4100 block of Churchill Drive, where another Molotov cocktail had damaged a garage door while the occupants slept inside.

MARTINEZ — A Walnut Creek man charged with arson is accused of setting fire to property belonging to friends who were groomsmen at his wedding, an apparent act of revenge after his marriage failed, according to court documents uncovered Tuesday.

Joshua Van Buskirk, 33, was taken into custody on Dec. 24 in connection with two blazes that damaged homes and two vehicle fires, according to Contra Costa County Fire Protection District fire investigators.

Van Buskirk has pleaded not guilty to three counts of arson of property, three counts of possession of destructive devices for using Molotov cocktails, one count of arson of an inhabited property and two counts of child abuse because two children were inside a home he targeted, records show. All the charges are felonies and bail was set at $2.1 million.

Van Buskirk apparently believed the groomsmen did not support him after his marriage dissolved, according to a police search warrant. One of the victims was a longtime friend, according to the warrant.

Some of the items left at the fires held significance to the victims — a 49ers scarf, Joker cards and a bullet in a pill bottle, records show.

Investigators said the most recent fire connected to Van Buskirk was reported on Christmas Eve, when fire crews were called to a blaze in front of a home in the 3600 block of Walnut Avenue in Concord. They found several fires along with two Molotov cocktails in front of the house. Other evidence found at the scene was believed to have been related to a vehicle fire the previous day in Antioch, in the 400 block of Ridgewood Court.

The same morning, investigators and Concord police responded to a Concord home in the 4100 block of Churchill Drive, where another Molotov cocktail had damaged a garage door while the occupants slept inside.